The invention relates to a snaffle bit for a horse with two side members and one shackle interposed between said members, said shackle having at least one joint on one side and being provided on the other with two side portions, a bore being provided in the end of each of the side portions that is remote from the at least one joint, said bore receiving a respective one of the side members so as to allow them to move freely and to a method of manufacturing such a snaffle bit.
A such type snaffle bit for a horse is known from the European Patent 17 959 or the WO 00/35804. In principle, this snaffle bit proved to be very efficient. Reference is also made to the snaffle bits cited in this European Patent 17 959, more specifically to those according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,564; GB-A-7712/1914; GB-A-65/1913 and DE-C-194 071.
In devising the snaffle bit previously proposed and mentioned herein above, it proved particularly efficient to design the shackle so as to be even, smooth in contour and without edges and to have the transitions between discrete portions of the shackle made soft. It also proved very advantageous to have the cross section of the side portions tapering from the rings inward and this advantage will be retained. The same applies for the curved design of the shackle according to which a center line of the shackle connecting the bores for receiving the two rings so as to provide them with freedom of movement is curved toward the front, toward the roof of the mouth. With the bit of the type mentioned herein above, this feature is achieved in providing the shackle with a joint so that this curved implementation can be achieved.
Bits which have a jointed shackle will be designated herein after as “single joint” snaffle bits, and bits which have a shackle with two joints as “double joint” snaffle bits. These two embodiments of the snaffle bit for horses of the type mentioned herein above have come to be highly appreciated by horsemen.
The present invention would like to retain the major features of the snaffle bit of the type mentioned herein above and to improve it so as to make it even better suited and advantageous for a horse and more specifically so that it is better accepted by a horse.
This is where the invention comes to effect. It aims at developing the snaffle bit of the type mentioned herein above and the method of manufacturing same in such a manner that it is preferably accepted by a horse.